Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain

Howard Williams author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:1st Apr '10

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Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain cover

Addresses the commemorative functions of funerary ritual between 400–1100 AD using archaeological remains as its evidence base.

An innovative application of theories of memory and material culture to an early historic society, this 2006 book uses the early medieval cemetery in Britain between 400–1100 AD as a rich and complex data set, addressing the commemorative functions of funerary ritual using archaeological remains as its evidence base.How were the dead remembered in early medieval Britain? Originally published in 2006, this innovative study demonstrates how perceptions of the past and the dead, and hence social identities, were constructed through mortuary practices and commemoration between c. 400–1100 AD. Drawing on archaeological evidence from across Britain, including archaeological discoveries, Howard Williams presents a fresh interpretation of the significance of portable artefacts, the body, structures, monuments and landscapes in early medieval mortuary practices. He argues that materials and spaces were used in ritual performances that served as 'technologies of remembrance', practices that created shared 'social' memories intended to link past, present and future. Through the deployment of material culture, early medieval societies were therefore selectively remembering and forgetting their ancestors and their history. Throwing light on an important aspect of medieval society, this book is essential reading for archaeologists and historians with an interest in the early medieval period.

Review of the hardback: 'It is one of the great strengths of his book that it treats the whole of mainland Britain (and the isle of Man) on an even footing and over more than half a millennium bringing out this variation as well as some common themes and perhaps beliefs … for 50 years prehistorians have, perhaps rightly, deplored the intellectual simplicity of the infant discipline of medieval archaeology. This is one of the books that will make them rethink that.' British Archaeology
Review of the hardback: 'Howard William's book should launch a mature, careful and temperate debate …' Journal of Medieval Archaeology
Review of the hardback: '… nuanced and insightful … thought-provoking …' Archaeological Review from Cambridge
Review of the hardback: 'Howard William's excellent book is thus greatly to be welcomed as the first extended survey of how the dead were remembered in early medieval Britain.' Antiquity

ISBN: 9780521142250

Dimensions: 244mm x 170mm x 14mm

Weight: 440g

272 pages